


As Long As It Takes

by TheRainbowShakaBrah



Series: As Long As It Takes [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: #SorryNotSorry, AU with no Rachel, F/F, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Max is an awkward shy bi mess, Poor Chloe, This is based on a tumblr prompt, forgive me for the angst, i live for this shit, protect my gay babies, this is going to be fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 07:02:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14231853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRainbowShakaBrah/pseuds/TheRainbowShakaBrah
Summary: Based on this Tumblr Prompt: This might sound a little trigger warning-ish but....AU where David sent Chloe to a reformatory school where she got abused to the point she's "normal" with David finding out and getting her out with Chloe acting borderline emotionless and catatonic also stays in her house the whole day until Max visits her in her home with Chloe having signs of recovery.http://the-rainbow-shaka-brah.tumblr.com/post/172658795157/this-might-sound-a-little-trigger-warning-ish





	As Long As It Takes

Chloe is sitting still on the couch next to me, and she hasn’t moved an inch since I walked through the door. Hell, she didn’t even come up to say hi… she’s just sitting there, staring off into the abyss with absolutely no emotions registering on her face.

“Chlo?” I whisper shyly.

“Yes, Maxine?” she replies in a monotone, almost robotic voice.

I swallow hard when she uses my real name, something she’s never done before, not even when we were kids.  _It’s been 5 years since we’ve seen each other so why does it feel like I’m sitting next to a total stranger?_ , I ask my self, subtly and quietly shifting away from the blonde haired girl.

“Are you upset at me?”.

She turns her head to me and stares at me with dull, greyish eyes, “No. Not talking to me was your choice. I respect it”.

I can’t help but whimper a little,  _You’re not Chloe… Chloe would have been pissed at me, she would have made me feel like shit for leaving then make me feel better because neither of us could stand being upset at each other._

I nod and turn away, staring down at my hands that rest on my lap. “Okay…”.

Chloe has… changed drastically in the last 5 years, and even though I’ve only been back in Arcadia Bay for less than 3 weeks, I can tell that she didn’t exactly have the best time growing up while I was away. For one, Joyce (Chloe’s mom) remarried an elitist prick who, after Chloe started acting out against his authority a few years ago, sent her off to some sort of reformatory school. 

I’d done a little research on the place during my free time and found that the whole school had a long history of abuse allegations, teachers, and staff mistreating students, beating them for disorderly conduct and starving them for bad behavior and defiance.

I’ll give the man credit for pulling her out when things got too violent, but that still doesn’t excuse the fact that he sent her there in the first place.

I shudder when I think about Chloe being in that situation.I believe everything I read online and it scares me to think of the horror she saw, heard… _felt._ She’s so skinny now, and even though she graduated last year (From Blackwell thank god), and finally escaped the clutches of that horrid school, she hasn’t been able to gain any of the weight of muscle mass she once had. She’s super jumpy too, loud noises scare her more than they scare me. The rebellious little girl I I fell in lo-… I mean, the rebellious girl I grew up with is gone. Now, all that’s left is the husk of a person I used to know.

But the feelings are still there.

“So… I go to Blackwell now,” I say, knowing she already knows this, I’m just desperate for conversation, “I got into the photography program there… “.

“That’s great, Maxine. School and study are important, so be sure to do well. I know you’re more than capable to succeed. Do you enjoy the classes there?”.

I blush a little at her slight praise and shrug, “I mean… yeah, it’s still high school though. People are… rude and arrogant, but… I try to just ignore it”.

“People are … mean to you?”.

I turn to Chloe who’s looking at me again, her brows slightly furrowed in concern. I stare at her for a moment before nodding, deciding not to tell her about the time someone scrawled “Dyke” on my locker. “Um… yeah, but I try not to let it bother me,”.

“Do you stand up for yourself?”.

Chloe has fully turned herself to me now. It’s the most I’ve seen her move in weeks.

“N- No…”.

“Why…”.

I can’t help but chuckle. “It’s me, Chloe. Shy, cliche geek, Max Caulfield. No one is going to listen”.

Suddenly my hands are in Chloe’s and she’s staring at me with sharp, icy blue eyes which seem to have regained their full color. “You’re stronger than you think, Max. Don’t… don’t let the bullies win”.

I blink in slight shock. “You… you called me  _Max_ ”.

Chloe’s eyes grow wide again, her eyes now returning to their faded, grey color, “Sorry. I meant, Maxine. My bad”.

I look down and sigh, watching as she removes her hands from mine and sits back up, going completely stock-still beside me. _It’s a start,_  I think, seeing that she’s trying to recover from her momentary slip-up.

We continue to talk for a while after that, and when Joyce gets home, Chloe gets up and helps her wash dishes and prepare dinner, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do. David,(her asshole stepfather) watches her actions with slight concern.

_You hurt her, you asshole, you knew exactly what you were doing when you sent her there. You got her out but you’re doing nothing to help her. I’m not going to give up on her like all of you did. Because unlike you, she means something to me._

Dinner is quiet, Joyce, David, and Chloe tell each other about their day, which for Sargent Dickhead is busting students at Blackwell for various misdemeanors, for Joyce, it’s your normal asshole truckers at the diner, and for Chloe, it’s staying inside and working on college courses online. I stay quiet, feeling as if I’m no longer welcomed in the family I grew up alongside

“Hey, Chloe? Before I go, can I tell you something,” I say as we slowly make our way to the front door after our meal, Chloe opting to see me out.

I pause on the porch, the front door shut tightly behind us and take a deep breath.

“Of course, Maxine. You can tell me anythi- ?!”.

I cut her words off with a kiss, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I feel her lips stiffen up for a fraction of a second before they naturally reciprocate. It feels nice kissing her without fear of David catching us because god forbid he found out one of Chloe’s only real-life friends was gay… well, bi but Chloe’s the only one for me.

When I pull away, Chloe has her eyes closed and I watch as a visible breath passes over her lips. That makes me smirk and giggle a little…

“I love you” I whisper, taking a small step back, knowing it’s going to take a few moments for her to catch up with what happened… and by that time she’ll be back to her scared, brainwashed self, trying to forget that she has any free will over her own life.

_Fuck you, David. I’m going to get her back._

“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” I tell her, taking another step back.

She nods, her eyes still closed.

“‘Corse. I can’t wait…”.

I smile and walk towards the sidewalk, leaving a stunned, lovestruck Chloe in my wake.

_No matter how long it takes, Chloe. I’m going to get you back._


End file.
